research methodologies

Data use in voluntary and community organisations

This study assesses the need and demand within voluntary and community organisations (VCOs) for relevant, analysed and well-presented data to support their work tackling poverty. The poverty agenda has shifted away from ‘top-down’ action by central government towards the engagement of local voluntary and community organisations. As small, independent groups with their own ideas about tackling poverty, VCOs represent a powerful, ‘bottom-up’ approach.

Data use in voluntary and community organisations

This study assesses the need and demand within voluntary and community organisations (VCOs) for relevant, analysed and well-presented data to support their work tackling poverty. The poverty agenda has shifted away from ‘top-down’ action by central government towards the engagement of local voluntary and community organisations. As small, independent groups with their own ideas about tackling poverty, VCOs represent a powerful, ‘bottom-up’ approach.

Assessing illicit drugs in wastewater

This report presents a number of contributions that relate to analysing communal wastewaters for drugs and their metabolic products in order to estimate their consumption in the community. This area of work is developing in a multidisciplinary fashion, involving scientists working in different research areas. For this reason, the contributions to this publication come from a variety of different perspectives including: analytical chemistry, physiology and biochemistry, sewage engineering, spatial epidemiology and statistics, and conventional drug epidemiology.

Living on the edge of despair: destitution amongst asylum seeking and refugee children

This report is based on a research study carried out by The Children's Society in the West Midlands during 2007. Charities in the West Midlands have become increasingly concerned about destitution amongst children. The British Red Cross destitution clinic in the West Midlands identified an increasing number of babies, children and young people coming through the project, mainly with their parents.

SCIE Research resource 03: SCIE Systematic mapping guidance (Draft)

Systematic mapping is a transparent technique for describing research literature on a broad topic. It allows us to take stock of the research available in any given area of social care, so that we can decide how to develop it. A map provides both a searchable database for researchers and policy makers, and a stand-alone piece of work describing the literature on that topic.

Mental health and employment

This report presents findings of a qualitative research project commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to investigate the relationship between mental health and employment. The research was conducted during 2007 by the Social Policy Research Unit at the University of York and the Institute for Employment Studies.

Evidence of Recovery : The 'Ups' and 'Downs' of Longitudinal Outcome Studies

This is the fourth in a series of discussion papers designed to help generate debate on how best to promote and support recovery from long-term mental health problems in Scotland. This discussion paper provides an overview of some of the findings of longitudinal mental health outcome studies that have been conducted in the course of the few last decades in different countries and with different patient groups.